Bad Habits
by spoodle monkey
Summary: It starts out innocent, Cooper tells a girl that won't leave him alone that they're dating. Then it becomes a habit. Frank Moses/William Cooper


Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N- So, I think I'm creating a world in my head where after the movie Sarah either goes and joins the FBI or something (Cause she loves the thrill) or heads home and Cooper goes on roadtrips with Frank,Victoria, Ivan and Marvin, finding marks and being badass. This is part of that world.

* * *

"I'm telling you kid," Frank says, leans forwards across the small table in the booth until there's barely any space between them. "The CIA is getting soft."

Cooper snorts into his drink.

"I can totally kick your ass." He tells the older man, setting his drink down on the table and leaning in. There are barely any people in the small diner but they still keep their voices pitched low.

"No you can't." Frank says with the utmost certainty. He smirks, leans back in his seat, eyes bouncing around the room. "I think I'm going to go see what's taking Victoria so long."

He slides out of the booth, pays at the cashier and heads out of the diner. Cooper watches him go, a habit he's developed recently and then stands and heads to the counter.

A pretty brunette stands behind the counter and he considers flirting for a moment but discards it because he just doesn't feel up to it. Hasn't since long before the divorce.

"He was really sweet." The girl says as he hands over the money. "Your dad."

Cooper nearly chokes.

"He's not my father." He tells her and thinks how much fun he's going to have telling this to Frank. On second thought- maybe just Victoria.

"Oh!" Her eyes widen a bit and then she smiles. "Are you two taking a road trip together?" At Coopers nod, she continues seemingly forgetting about the change still held in her grasp. "That's so sweet! You know, not enough couples spend that kind of time together, I wish I could get my boyfriend to take me on a trip somewhere."

Cooper blinks and grins slowly.

"I spent months trying to talk him into a road trip." He says with a wink. "It's actually our anniversary- he's a romantic at heart."

The girl is putty in his hands and he ends up leaving the restaurant without having to pay for lunch at all.

Frank is waiting at the car, still no sign of Victoria. He eyes Cooper suspiciously.

"What's got you so amused?" He asks.

Cooper just grins and waves as he spots Victoria heading down the street.

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

::

It would just be the one time, but they end up in a bar in another town looking for a mark.

Victoria and Ivan sit by the small stage, Marvin is secure in the car (and as far away from Cooper as possible) and he and Frank are seated at the bar.

He takes a sip of his beer and watches, amused as Frank is hit on by a girl that doesn't even look _legal_.

Cooper nearly starts laughing when Frank stands abruptly as the girl gets too close and then feels all the amusement leave him when he sees where the girl's hand is. He's more than a little surprised at the irritation that surges through him as he spots her hand high up on Frank's thigh.

Frank makes up a hasty excuse and flees, shooting him an irritated look.

Cooper barely even thinks about it, before the girl can go after Frank he slides onto the stool that the older man has just vacated.

The girl barely spares him a second glance but Cooper speaks before she can take off after his partner.

"I'd appreciate it if you would keep your hands off of my boyfriend." It rolls easily off his tongue and the girl jerks- startled.

"What?"

"My boyfriend." He replies, gesturing in the direction Frank has fled.

Her eyes dart over to where Frank is cautiously emerging from the bathroom, it may look like apprehension to her but to him all it is, is Frank searching for their mark.

"I think it's time for you to go." He tells her, looms a little and watches as her eyes widen. She leaves quickly; Cooper settles back into his own stool and takes another sip of his beer.

"Where'd she go?" Frank asks warily, as though the girl was going to pop up from behind the bar at any moment.

"Home, I think." Cooper replies, eyes scanning the room. He spots their mark coming out of the back. "Time to move." He says and heads for the front door.

::

After that, it becomes a habit.

One night they're in a nightclub and Cooper is dancing, trying to ignore Marvin making snide comments in his ear. Another guy comes up; starts dancing with him and Cooper thinks, _what the hell- it'll just cement his cover_. So he lets him and it's great having another body pressed up against his own after so long.

The song changes, slows down and Cooper heads off the dance floor, using the excuse of needing a drink to check up on their mark. He leans against the bar, accepts the drink that's handed to him and watches as Frank heads off to serve another customer. He takes a moment to watch the older man, black jeans, white shirt and black vest, completely at ease being behind the bar.

A hand slides up his back to land on his shoulder and the only reason the person still has their hand is because he recognizes it as the guy from the dance floor.

Frank spares them a glance out of the corner of his eyes and Cooper nods discretely. The older man turns back to the mark, which is now on his sixth beer and spilling his woes to him.

"Hey." The guy breathes in his ear and Cooper turns his head slightly to acknowledge him.

"Hey." He says in return, turns back to his drink and watches Frank a moment longer.

"So," The guy continues though and Cooper mentally runs through all of the ways he can tell this guy to _leave_. "You're a good dancer." Completely thanks to the CIA, before them he had had two left feet. Prom had not been fun.

The hand on his shoulder slides to the small of his back. Cooper holds himself absolutely still. The problem with breaking the guys hand is that their mark is sitting just down the bar and he can't risk compromising their cover.

Marvin makes a smart assed comment in his ear and Cooper discretely flips the security camera off.

"I wonder what else you're good at?" The guy murmurs, and the hand slips even lower and grabs his ass.

Cooper doesn't glance over at Frank as he calmly reaches back, grabs the guy's wrist and uses it to pull him closer.

"See that guy over there?" Cooper asks, tilting his head in Frank's direction. The thing that Cooper loves the most about Frank's outfit is that the white shirt is tight, it clings to all of the muscles that most men Frank's age do not have. The guy glances Frank over, eyes a little wide and winces as Cooper squeezes his wrist. "That's my boyfriend. And he _really_ doesn't like it when people touch what is _his._"

He lets go of the guy's wrist, pushes him back a bit and turns back to his drink. The guy takes another look at Frank, who chooses that moment to look up and glower at him. His eyes widen and he all but runs, disappearing into the crowd.

"_He doesn't like it when people touch what's his?" _Marvin laughs loudly in his ear. Cooper winces, he's never going to hear the end of it. _"I think I might have been wrong about you."_

He's not sure what to make of that.

Victoria shows up, decked out in tight leather and looking amazing and she lays on the charm, leading their mark out of the building.

"You alright?" Frank asks coming over in guise of refilling his drink.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Cooper smirks, takes a drink and says. "Wanna get out of here?"

Frank smirks back.

"My shift ends in twenty minutes."

"I can wait."

::

The problem is that once he starts he doesn't seem able to stop.

He tells an elderly cashier in one town that his husband is waiting out in the car for him, tells the man behind the desk at the hotel that he and his significant other are in town for the sights, hell he even tells a mother in a Laundromat about his fictional life complete with a fictional dog named Lassiter.

Cooper and Victoria are having lunch outside of a café with their mark when he lets it slip.

"My wife insists that we do the renovations on our own," the mark says and Coopers mind goes right to Frank and the home improvements he keeps talking about. "But I bargained with her that we'd at least consult with some designers just as a second opinion."

This is where he talks about décor and leads into home safety and then Victoria talks about a new high end safe (which will hold the information they're looking for).

What comes out is,

"My boyfriend likes to do his own renovations as well. His earlier accomplishments were…unique to say the least. We actually just added a safe to one of the rooms, hidden and impossible to break into. You should think about getting one of those, its great for all of those old family photos."

Cooper holds his breath. Victoria nods and smiles at their mark and doesn't say anything about Coopers lie.

"That actually sounds great." The man says. "It would save me the trouble of renting a safety deposit box."

They finish their lunch, the mark leaves and Victoria rounds on him, lips pursed and eyebrows high.

"Your boyfriend?" She repeats.

"It worked." He pulls out his wallet, places some money with the check and stands.

"And who might this boyfriend be?" She asks and there's a hint of amusement shining through. She stands, allows him to help her with her shall. He holds out his arm and she loops hers through his. They stroll leisurely down the street. This town is a keeper, he thinks. The café they chose is right next to the calm river the town is named after and they walk along it feeling the hint of fall in the air.

"He doesn't exist." Cooper lies.

Victoria 'hmm's' next to him.

"Frank's first attempts at renovations truly were unique." She finally says. "The man was hopeless with a hammer and nails for the longest time."

Cooper grins ruefully.

"Let's not tell Frank about this." He says.

Victoria gives him a long look and then says, "Alright. Now, tell me all about this life you've constructed in your head."

::

"You two make a sweet couple." The woman behind the desk at bed and breakfast reminds Cooper of how his grandmother looked, glasses too big for her face, curling grey hair and a kind smile that was never judgemental.

"Thank you, ma'am." He says and accepts the keys. One room for Ivan and Victoria, one for him and Frank; Marvin had refused to enter the building.

Cooper turns around to go and find the others where he left them exploring the dining room only to find Frank standing right behind him.

_Oh shit_, he thinks.

Frank quirks an eyebrow at him and Cooper can't tell if the amusement is faked or not. The older man snags the keys from Coopers lax grip, leans around him to offer the woman a charming smile and a quick thank you- and then grabs Coopers hand and all but drags him from the room.

They pass through the dining room where Frank tosses Ivan a key and tells the others that they'll see them later.

He hears Victoria mutter '_oh dear'_, and then he's pulled up the stairs and into their room.

"So." Frank says as he gets the door shut and Cooper can feel every instinct he has on high alert with Frank between him and the door. There's a window at his back though so it tampers down his urge to run.

"I didn't want to offend her." Cooper explains quickly.

"And the time in the bar? Or the nightclub? Or with Victoria and the mark? Or _all_ of the other times?" Frank crosses his arms, face carefully blank.

Cooper thinks somewhat desperately, _of course he knows about those- he's Frank Moses_.

"It started out as a joke- or to get people to back off," He says and in retrospect there were probably better ways. "And then it just became a habit."

"A habit." Frank repeats and Cooper nods. "Well," Frank continues, expression contemplative. "If it works then I say keep using it. But lies are always better when there's some truth to them."

Cooper stands there, forces himself not to move as Frank crosses the room to him. A hand falls heavy on the back of his neck, another warm and possessive on his hip.

When Frank leans in and kisses him he's startled to find there's a distinct _lack_ of surprise on his part.  
He kisses back, hands coming up to rest on Franks shoulders, to feel the muscles there and presses in as close as he can.

"Well," Frank says as they pull back. He smirks at Cooper and tugs him a little closer until it feels like there's absolutely no space between them. "This could work."

Cooper decides to shut him up and leans back in for another kiss.


End file.
